1. Forming a Government VOCABULARY

2. Constitution:
a set of basic principles and laws that states the powers and duties of the government

3. Suffrage:
the right to vote

4.   Ratification: an
official approval

5. Tariffs:
taxes on imports and exports

6. Inflation:
Increases prices for goods and services combined with the reduced value of money.

7. Depression:
a steep drop in economic activity combined with rising unemployment

8. Checks and balances:
a system of established by the Constitution that prevents any branch of government from becoming too powerful

9. Amendments:
official change, correction or addition to a law, constitution or a document

10. Federalism:
United States system of government in which power is distributed between a central government
(Congress) and individual states

11. Legislative branch:
the division of the federal government that proposes bills and passes them into laws

12. Executive branch:
the division of the federal government that includes the president and the administrative departments; enforces our nation’s laws

13.   Judicial branch:
the division of the federal government that is made up of the nation’s courts; interprets the laws, punishes criminals, and settles disputes between states